What happened
The site ”Ett folk” urges the public to report suspected election fraud and claims that 160 000 people have signed a demand for a re-election. In an investigation, the Expo Foundation shows that a 36-year-old man calling himself Robin Leopold is behind the initiative. In his own channels, the man has defended the violent extremist group Aktivklubb, but denies spreading pro-Russian narratives. On the site, statistics on the proportion of eligible voters born in Sweden are published alongside posts about election interference. At the same time, the City of Stockholm is holding off on an external investigation into suspected election fraud in Järva, according to Sveriges Radio P4 Stockholm.
Our analysis
Robin Leopold registered the site on 17 September and now claims that 160 000 people are demanding a re-election. By pitting statistics on who was born in Sweden against allegations of fraud, new Swedes' democratic participation is singled out as a threat. Mainstream reporting has examined the person's online background, but missed how the campaign casts collective suspicion on new Swedes at the ballot box. In the magazine Kvartal, Leopold claims that no one has disproven the reports on the site, while the City of Stockholm has not yet decided on an independent investigation into the events in Järva. The next step lies with Stockholm City Hall, which must decide whether the suspicions should be formally investigated or left open to political campaigns.
Explained
Aktivklubb is an umbrella term for violent far-right extremist groups that combine martial arts training with political propaganda.
Source: Omni